Two students' pieces named Idea Tree's best in show

Heath E Combs -- Furniture Today, May 17, 2012

Illinois Institute of Technology student Annie Hutches’ stained glass panels were named Best in Show for the accessory category of the Idea Tree project. The piece was inspired by a downtown Chicago street map.CHICAGO - Pieces from Illinois Institute of Technology students Kuanhoa Chen and Annie Hutches were named best in show during recent judging of the Idea Tree exhibit here.

The furnishings pieces were made of wood from a single tree downed during a violent storm here last summer.

In furniture, Chen produced side tables with mixed media elements in a rustic style. In the accessory category, Hutches used stained glass panels inspired by a Chicago street map.

The pieces will be part of the Idea Tree exhibit beginning June 1 in a 5,000-square-foot, street-level gallery in the historic Inland Steel Building. Admission will be free and more than 48 furniture and accessory items will be displayed.

In the furniture category, Best in Show went to Illinois Institute of Technology student Kuanhoa Chen’s rustic modern side tables.The exhibit is the result of a design project by Sawbridge Studios, in collaboration with the Illinois Institute of Technology and Horigan Urban Forest Products.

Students were mentored by craftsmen and furniture makers from Sawbridge Studios, a retail source for hand-crafted, American-made furnishings and accessories. Students later built their pieces at an on-campus workshop.